Kalabagh Dam - History, Facts, Opposition & Consensus | Part-3 | Tahir Iqbal

A dam is a structure built across a stream or river to hold water back. Dams can be used to store water, irrigate agrarian lands for production of foods, control flooding, and generate electricity.

The ancient Mesopotamians may have been some of the first humans to build dams. The oldest known dam is the Jawa Dam, located in present-day Jordan. It was built in the fourth century B.C.E. Dams provided farmers with a steady source of water to irrigate crops. This allowed ancient Mesopotamians to feed a growing population.

The force of flowing water creates mechanical power. People have harnessed this power for centuries with the use of dams. Small dams powered paddle wheels in pre-industrial Europe and America. These were used to help saw logs or grind corn and other grains.

A report by International Monetary Fund (IMF) says, Pakistan is the third most water deficient country in the world. A former #WADPA Chairman once said that Pakistan has a water storage capacity of only 30 days, whereas India has water reserves which can meet its requirements for 170 days. Since the completion of #tarbela dam in 1974, no mega dam has been constructed in Pakistan, whereas the population of the country has tripled in the last 44 years.

According to the Pakistan Council of Research in water resources, #Pakistan reached the water stress line in 1990 and crossed the water scarcity line in 2005 whereas, it has been warned that Pakistan will reach ‘absolute scarcity’ levels by 2025.

· Tripartite Agreement (1921)
· Indus Discharge Committee (1921)
· SVP Inquiry Committee (1932)
· Anderson Committee (1937)
· Rao Commission (1945)
· Akhtar Hussain Committee (1968)
· Fazle-e-Akbar Committee (1970)
· Chief Justices Commission (1977)
· Haleem Commission (1983)
• Water Apportionment Accord (1991)

The balance river supplies including flood supplies and future storages are allocated as: 37% for Punjab, 37% for #Sindh, 14% for K.PK and 12% for Baluchistan.

#Kalabagh #dam (3600MW) site is located downstream of Terbela dam. Preliminary feasibility report of #Kalabaghdam project was prepared by an American consultant M/s Tipton& Hill in 1956 and revised by M/s Chas T. Main in1966. This project remained part of the development portfolio of WAPDA. #kalabagh dam has successfully crossed all stages of research, investigation, economic viability, and environment appraisal. International expert found it feasible, viable and beneficial.

Sindh Point of View
Sindh always objected that it had received less water than its entitlements under the 1991 accord. At present flow to water is insufficient to meet minimum requirement for Sea intrusion. Consequently sea water now comes up 100km in land and caused the increased salination of lower Sindh agriculture land, with subsequent adverse effect on ecosystem. Another problem is the shrinking of the Indus basin mangroves forest, which is dependent on fresh water supplies. Once the sixth largest in the world, has reduced in size by 38% during 1977-90.

Spread out in the shape of a fan, the Indus Delta covers an area of 41,440km² and approximately 210km where it meets the sea. It has shrunk manyfold over the decades.

As per the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991, Sindh demanded at least 10 million acre feet (MAF) of water to be released below the Kotri Barrage. Without freshwater, depleting fish stock and mangrove forests are causing loss of livelihood and food sources for communities dependent on it. 80pc of fish caught off the coast in Pakistan spend at least a part of their life cycle dependent on the mangrove creeks. Freshwater flows are also supposed to help resist cyclones and tsunamis.

Without the release of freshwater into the Indus — a consequence of the construction of dams — the river loses its velocity by the time it meets the Arabian Sea. In the absence of flowing freshwater acting as a rival shield, opposing saline seawater forcefully invites itself into the delta and hurts the soil, plants, animals and fish species there.

KIRC, an NGO focusing on coverage of the Kashmir conflict has alleged that the opposition against the construction of Kalabagh has been supported by foreign intelligence agencies, as a way to weaken the state of Pakistan.

A study funded by NUST University in 2014 supported the making of Kalabagh Dam.

Bashir A. Malik, former chief technical advisor to the United Nations and World Bank, said, "Sindh and Pakhtunkhwah would become drought areas in the years to come if Kalabagh Dam was not built."

Former KP Chief Minister Shamsul Mulk has stated that the "Kalabagh Dam would be helpful in erasing poverty from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as it would irrigate 800,000 acres of cultivable land that is located 100–150 feet above the level of River Indus."